Lost in a Memory
by breathing-for-this-moment
Summary: "Annabeth," he calls quietly, staring intently out over the ocean. "I know you're out there. And when you come, I'll be ready. I promise." Set before Son of Neptune


**Authors note: Hey guys :3 Moments here, with a (kind of) new fanfic. I actually wrote this a really long time ago, before the Son of Neptune came out. So I guess its kind of AU, because when I wrote it, I didn't know anything about what had actually happened to Percy, and this was my version of events. Give it a chance (: **

The Lost Hero

The shaggy haired son of Poseidon sits on a beach, staring out at the churning water. He's been at the Roman camp for a few months, and he's adjusted well. Lupa has decided not to kill him, so that must mean he hasn't screwed up _completely_ yet. He still remembers nothing of his life before the camp; 16 years wiped clear away from his mind. Sure, he's made new friends, and he can't exactly miss what he doesn't know, but he can't help but feel as if there's a gaping void that needs to be filled.

He remembers names. That's all. Sally Jackson, someone who he presumes is his mother, considering his last name is also Jackson. Grover, Nico, Thalia, Tyson, Chiron; all these names bring happiness, the faintest feelings of laughter. He remembers Luke, and it always leaves a bittersweet taste in his mouth, though he's unsure why. Just thinking the name brings an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Mostly, though, he remembers a girl named Annabeth Chase. She brings back the strongest feelings. Sometimes, if he concentrates, he can even gain back glimpses of memories from her name, gleams of laughter, a warm touch, a bright smile. Occasionally, he dreams of a tall girl with blonde hair and a Yankees ball cap, but the details of his dream fade too quickly upon waking for him to really discern any meaning from them.

Sitting there on the beach, thinking of the strange names he wishes he knew more about, the memory hits him like a tidal wave.

Suddenly, he's sitting on a very different beach than the one he was just on. Just being there brings back feelings of safety and warmth. Unfolding before him is a memory, buried so deep in the recess of his mind he's not sure how he recovered it.

A version of him, maybe a half a year younger, is lying on the sand next to a beautiful girl with curling blonde hair and stormy gray eyes. Percy knows immediately that this is Annabeth. His Annabeth.

They are lying there silently, but both of them look so comfortable and happy and content that it makes his heart ache and long for this to be more than a memory, for this moment to come into the present. Their hands are intertwined. Both of them are wearing orange t-shirts with black writing. He feels as if the shirts are important, but he has no idea why and the writing is blurred anyway so he shakes the thought from his mind.

"Percy," the girl suddenly whispers. "What do you think it's like to live forever?" Her voice sounds like home.

"Well, if it wasn't for you, I'd know, wouldn't I?" Memory Percy teases, his ocean green eyes sparkling. Annabeth laughs a wind chime laugh.

"I'm being serious, Percy. What's it like? To be on Olympus, to never have to worry about getting old or fading or losing anyone?"

He sees the sincerity in her gray eyes and thinks about the answer before he replies. "I think it would be cool, at first." He starts slowly. "But after a while, I think it would get boring. What fun is it to never change? Besides," he smiles, "there's no point to forever without you." He brings their intertwined fingers to his mouth and kisses her hand softly.

Annabeth smiles a breathtaking smile and a gentle blush spreads over her cheeks. Percy smirks slightly. She so rarely does it (he swears that girl has never suffered from an out-of-control moment in her life), it has become a little game of his to see how often he can make his girlfriend blush. She shoves his shoulder with her free hand, only semi-kidding.

"What's with the deep questions?" Percy asks, teasing again. "You know I don't like to think." His girlfriend rolls her eyes.

"I know, Seaweed Brain, I just...I just feel like I'm going to be losing you soon. I don't know why."

Percy smiles again. "I'm not going anywhere." He promises. "I think I proved that when I turned down immortality just so I could stay with you."

"I'm being paranoid, aren't I?"

"Participating in what almost became World War III can do that to you." Suddenly, Percy turns his attention to the water. "I'll tell you what, though. We'll make a meeting place, just in a case."

"If you think that will work..." Annabeth takes his statement seriously, looking around the beach, but an idea has already formed in Percy's head. He points out towards the horizon line.

"There," he says. "Right there, where the ocean and the stars touch. That's where we'll go if one of us ever gets lost. Just go there, and we'll find each other."

Annabeth rolls here eyes again, something that happens very often between the two of them. "Don't be stupid, Seaweed Brain, we can't really meet there!"

"Well, _excuse me_ for trying to be romantic, like those stupid sparkling vampires you always talk about!" Honestly, he thinks to himself, and she callse ME Seaweed Brain. "Come on, Wise Girl, you always take things too literally. Besides, being the son of Poseidon and all I probably _could_ end up there. You just never know with me."

Annabeth smirks and turns to face Percy, a look on her face as if to say _don't I know it._ Hooking her fingers onto the collar of his orange t-shirt, she wipes away all traces of sarcasm on her face.

"Well," she sighs dramatically, "I guess we can't all be Edward Cullen. Still, I give you points for trying." And she brings her grinning lips to meet his.

With a jolt, Percy returns to the present.

His lips tingle and his hand feels very empty without hers in it. He tries to read into the memory, but comes up blank. Everything said and done means nothing to him except for the fact that it brings him that much closer to the mysterious girl of his dreams. He certainly doesn't remember being offered immortality, and, though he seriously has to think about this for a moment, he's pretty sure the World Wars stopped after number two. He has no choice but to look at the memory as something seperate from his life entirely, and admire it on its own.

He closes his eyes and struggles to hold on to every detail of that rare, beautiful gift. If he concentrates hard enough, he can still picture himself lying on the blanket, feeling maybe the happiest he ever has. He wishes desperately that he knew more about Annabeth, that she wasn't just an abstract concept in his mind. He wishes he could find her and hold her in his arms for real.

There's a _whoosh_, and suddenly Percy isn't on a beach at all anymore. Instead, he's standing in a white room, slender columms rising into the air, fading through a mist and never seeming to find an end. Majestic peacocks, larger than any Percy has ever seen before, wander aimlessly around, their brilliant blue coats shining and their colorful feathers standing high. All around him, holographs of people dancing and laughing, or staring in awe as a woman in a long white dress walks down an ailse, come into view and then just as quickly disappear. Percy realizes they are images of weddings.

A stately woman appears before him. He can tell immediately that she is a goddess. She rises above him, maybe 10 feet tall in stature. Her blonde hair is pinned back elegantly on top of her head, and a white toga drapes around her body gracefully, hemmed in gold.

"Who are you?" He asks, on edge. At the roman camp, heroes in training are taught not to fear the gods, but to treat them with caution. Gods are manipulative, impartial, and 1000 times more powerful than any demigod could imagine.

"You know who I am, Perseus Jackson. We have met before." Her smile sends chills down his spine.

"I've never met you before." He exclaims. "I've never met any god before, not even my own parent." For a moment, the goddess looks sad.

"I know that's what you must think, young demigod. But in truth you have met many gods before."

Half of Percy tells him to attack. Half of him tells him to stand his ground. He knows that both moves would be stupid, so instead he quietly surveys the goddess, waiting for her to speak. He doesn't understand why seeing the this goddess, who does not appear threatening in any way, puts him on edge. But something tells him he has clashed with her before. He links her to the empty void; he just doesn't understand what the connection is. It frustrates him beyond belief. As if sensing his unease, the goddess smiles in a way meant to be appeasing and speaks again, her voice gentle.

"Even if you do not recognize me, Percy, you are a smart boy. Think! You know who I am." Percy looks around, taking in the scene before him. And suddenly, he knows.

"Hera." He realizes, the peacocks and wedding scenes fitting together like pieces of a puzzle. "Goddess of marriage and family." Hera claps once.

"Very good! I knew you could do it." Percy looks at the goddess once more, scrutinizing her. She's almost an identical twin to the statues of Juno that the roman camp built in her honor. But there are minor differences that distinguish her from her roman alter ego. For one, she's not wearing the goatskin cloak, the symbol of Juno. But there are smaller differences, too. Her face is softer, her stance more elegant. Although Juno wore her cloak as the symbold of a soldier, Hera looks in no way ready for war.

"Why did you appear in your Greek form?" He asks, more confused than ever. "Why are you here?" Because, as far as he knew, goddesses didn't summon you unless they wanted something. And when they wanted something from you? Well, it wasn't usually a good sign.

"I appear in my Greek form, Perseus, because that is the appearance you are most comfortable with. As for why am I here? I came so I could explain why I gave you that one memory."

Percy furrows his brow. He can almost hear Annabeth's voice in his head. _Don't do that, Seaweed Brain, you'll give yourself premature wrinkles._ "_You_ gave me back that memory? And what do you mean, I'm more comfortable with you in your Greek form? Roman is all I know!"

"Yes, I gave you back the memory." She says, ignoring the second part of his question.

"Well, then you can give me back other memories, too!"

"I'm afraid I cannot do that." And she actually does look sorry. But Percy still feels restless. You should never trust a god based on how they _appear _to be.

Anger flares up inside him. "What do you mean, you can't do that? Yes you can! You just don't want to! Well, I have news for you. How am I supposed to do what you want when I can't even remember ANYTHING about myself?" Hera holds up a hand to stop him.

"Enough!" She thunders. Percy takes a step back, startled by her anger. "Patience, Perseus, patience! All will be revealed in time. Besides," she hisses, "I did not grant you a memory for your own benefit! You are in the center of something much larger than yourself, you must realize that."

He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. His anger calms, and he curses himself for being so impulsive. Yelling at the gods never got you anywhere good, and usually just ended up turning you into an animal of their choosing. Camp had taught him control, and he is quickly able to adopt a reasonable tone.

"My apologies, Lady Hera. Please, explain the reasons behind your summoning." He gets out the sentence through gritted teeth.

Hera cracks a smile, but it was the same mysterious one as before. It showed no warmth, and didn't reach her eyes. "I see the roman camp has not cured you of your more inquisitive character traits. Shame, I was hoping it would." Before Percy can ask what the gods she was talking about, she continues. "I am here, Percy, because I have an important message for you. You are about to take part in something larger than the gods themselves. The fate of Olympus rests on you rhsoulders. Something I am not quite comfortable with but, alas, there is only so much I can do. The Greeks are coming, the other camp. When they arrive, you must be ready.

"Do not attack their ship. That is of vital importance. They are not a threat, but in fact part of the answer Olympus has been waiting for. Listen to them, and judge them without bias. If the wrong choice is made, the entire world will suffer." The goddesses' voice has turned grave, weighed down with the seriousness of her words. Percy stood completely still, letting her warning sink in. Somehow, although he was shocked and more than a little confused, he could not find it within himself to be frightened. It was if he had dealt with something like this before. A sense of loneliness washes over him. As if reading his mind, Hera speaks again, and her voice is soft.

"You have faced challenges before. You were not alone last time and, though you may feel differently, you are not alone this time either. There are people who would do anything for you, whether you realize it or not."

When he speaks, it is in a dull, flat voice. "What does this have to do with the memory?" It is the only thing he can think to say.

"When the Greeks come, you will be surprised. The camp will prepare to attack. It is your duty to stop them, a difficult task within itself, though I am afraid to say it is by no means the last challenge you will face. You must know that they are not the enemy. You must recognize them. You must recognize _her_." His mind flashes to golden curls and wind chime laughs, and he knows immediately that she is talking about Annabeth. She was coming on this ship?

"You will be scared, Percy. Everything about the situation will contradict itself. You will want to defend the roman camp, your home, yet you will feel as ifyou have a place with the strange Greeks coming off the flying ship. You will never have seen these half-bloods before in your life, yet they will not be strangers. The second war is coming, and..." Hera trails off and her eyes widen. It was obvious the last part of her pseech had been a slip-up. But it is too late; Percy's interest is sparked.

"What second war?"

Hera changes the subject. "In time, your memories will reveal themselves to you. Have patience, and you will come to understand everything that evades you now." The meaning of that sentence is what's evading him now. The room begins to fade, peacocks disappearing and scenes of weddings losing their vibrant colors. Hera herself is fading into the backround.

"Hera, wait!" Percy calls. "I still don't understand! What Greeks, what other camp? When will my memories come back? How will I know when the...others are arriving?" It was no use.

"Return to your home, hero. Rest while you can." Her voice sounds far away, as if coming to him through a long tunnel. Colors are blurring together into a long tube of light. "Many trials await you, but keep faith. Olympus would not have chosen you if they doubted your abilites. You have already proven yourself once, it is time for you to prove yourself again." And with those parting words, Hera and her palace of white disappear entirely, and Percy is sitting on the beach, alone once more.

He kicks the sand angrily, cursing every god he knows. Why did they always have to be so cryptic? Just once, a straight answer would be nice. Sighing, he closes his eyes, tyring to take in everything that had just happened to him. When he opens them again, they are filled with determination. His hand itches towards his pocket, where he always keeps his sword, Riptide. It is in pen form now, but all he has to do is uncap it and a glowing bronze sword would grow in his hands. Every cell of his body longs to dive into the water and begin his quest now.

But he is not the same Percy that had washed up on this very shore three months ago. That Percy, disoriented and confused as he was, would not have hesitated to jump into the churning ocean and begin searching for the mysterious Greeks. This Percy was different, harder, colder. Camp has taught him well. It has taught him to analyze situations for every possible outcome. To never take chances and to never be impulsive. It has taught him that every battle has a plan, a strategy.

So, taking a deep breath, he inches his hand slowly away from his pocket. Diving into the tumbling waves now would do him no good. First of all, he didn't know where to even begin searching. It could take him months, years to find the other camp. And according to Hera, they didn't have that kind of time. Besides, as much as his ADD wills him to jump into action, he is needed here, at camp. Hera has made it clear enough that it is his duty to prepare for when the flying ship arrives. He needs to watch for the Greeks. Well, one Greek in particular.

_Annabeth_. As much as camp has been able to minimize his impulses, it has been able to do nothing about his ADHD. And right now, his hyperactive brain couldn't help but wander back to the beautiful, mysterious girl of his memories. He knows she is coming, and that thought alone fills him with a peculiar mix of excitement and anxiety. He tries unsuccessfully to squander the vague sense of hope that is filling his stomach. It is stupid, he knows, and unreasonable, but he hopes that once he sees her he will suddenly remember everything. She is the strongest connection to whatever life he had before he came to this camp. So, he pulls his knees to his chest, stares out at the gray ocean, and tries to conjure some of this "patience" Hera had talked so much about.

Above the horizon line, right where the sky and ocean touched, stars are just beginning to dot the fading sky.

"Annabeth," He calls quietly, staring intently out over the waves, out over their 'meeting place', "I know you're out there. And when you come, I'll be ready. I promise."

**Well? What did you think? Ugh, I hate rereading old stories. Not exactly my best work, because (at least I like to think) I've become a better writer since I wrote this back in like July 2011. But I still wanted to post it, because I absolutely love Percy Jackson :D So please, leave me some feedback! Let me know how I can improve, because I am definitely looking to write a new Percy Jackson fic, this time up to date with the series!**

**Hope you liked it!**


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